Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category
Because it’s March…
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009This is what I expect to see from Jonny Flynn on Friday this week:
Except replace the guy getting clobbered with Blake Griffin.
Return to the ice!
Monday, January 26th, 2009Today is a very exciting day. In a matter of hours I will be lacing up my skates and playing some ice hockey for the first time in several years.
As big as the San Jose Sharks are out here in Silicon Valley, there aren’t very many rinks, and ice time can be very expensive. However, after two years living in California, I just learned about a local rink that’s not too far from me. It’s just been hiding in a shopping mall this whole time. California is weird.
It seems so long ago, but hockey used to be a pretty big part of me life. If you know where to look, you can still find some tidbits from my glory days on the internet. I believe I started playing when I was four or five. From what I recall at that age, gravity is typically a greater opponent than the team you’re playing. Eventually things gravitated to travel teams, Thanksgiving weekend tournaments, and State championships.
I can still vividly remember my very last game of organized hockey. It was a sectional tournament game in the frozen tundra of Pulaski, NY. Halfway through the 2nd period my left shoulder dislocated. This was a pretty common occurrence for me; I think at that point it had probably dislocated close to 40 times in a span of two or three years. Usually I could get it back in the socket within 10 minutes. However this time it didn’t want to go back in. It started swelling up to the point that my body started going into some form of shock and I could hardly stand on my feet.
It quickly became obvious that I needed to get to a hospital to get my shoulder back in the socket. Still struggling to stand up, I managed to make it outside to my parent’s minivan where we drove through a total lake effect white-out to get to some sort of medical center in the middle of nowhere. After an hour or two of waiting and x-rays, a doctor and a nurse struggled with it for about another hour. But alas, no luck. My swollen shoulder had defeated two medical professionals.
It must have been a slow day in this medical center because eventually the entire medical staff was in the room. I think three or four staff members were holding me down while a doctor was yanking and twisting on my arm. Suddenly it just popped back in place. Greatest feeling in the world, hands down. My shoulder may have been victorious over two medical professionals, but it was no match for a whole room full of them!
A month later I had reconstructive surgery on my shoulder and lost use of my arm for 6 weeks.
In conclusion, I can’t wait to get back on the ice tonight!
The end.
Manny being Manny in LA
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
It finally happened. Manny Ramirez was traded to the LA Dodgers today.
I can’t say that I’m surprised. He’s been asking (intermittently) for a trade for the past few years. I’m hesitant to say it, but deep down I think I’m glad to see him go. He was an offensive powerhouse in Boston, always entertaining to watch (for both good and and some not so good reasons), and probably one of my favorite players on the team.
But at the same time, he had become quite the distraction with his trade comments. And he obviously wasn’t happy. So it’s for the best. No hard feelings, Manny. It’s been fun. Best of luck in LA.
But traded for Jason Bay? He’s got decent numbers, but he’s no Manny Ramirez. At least we’ll get some defense in left field now. We’ll see how it goes. Boston has had some good luck in recent years with dealing aging players before the injuries kicked in (Pedro, Nomar, Damon). We’ve also had good luck with transforming good players into great players once they put on a Red Sox uniform (Ortiz, Lowell, Drew to some extent). So I’m going to trust Theo and the gang with this move. I hope it works out. We just need Jason Bay to grow out some dreds.
All good things must come to and end, but let’s just take a second to relive some the best/worst Manny Ramirez moments in Boston. There are some classics in there (even without the oopsie from earlier this month).
And lets part ways with Manny on a good note…like this one:
Walk-off Game 2 ALDS 2007
cya Manny.
Boston Trip!
Monday, May 12th, 2008So I managed to obtain a (nearly) free flight voucher by purchasing some Docker’s pants a few months ago. The voucher was good for only a few select cities in the US. After a few months of working way too hard here on the west coast, I found myself in one of those “I need to get away” moods. So I got about as far away as I could without leaving the country.
I only made one plan — to see a Red Sox game — and even that was done on a whim. Other than the Red Sox game I pretty much just wandered aimlessly. I probably walked over 50 miles during the five days I was there — and now my toe doesn’t work. I also met up with some people, partook in some of the nightlife, and ate a lot of clam chowder. Very good trip. I want to go back.
Meh, words are dumb. Look at pictures instead!
Here’s a preview:
Check one thing off the list…
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008If I had a list of things to do before I died, somewhere on there would be “go see a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.” I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve never been to Fenway. And moving out to the west coast certainly made this task a little more difficult. So tomorrow morning I will traveling 3,000 miles to check this item off my list.
Other than the Red Sox game, I’ve purposely made no other plans. Planning is overrated. I think I’ll just wander aimlessly for five days and maybe try to locate some old acquaintances.
Oh, and I since I won’t be bringing a computer, I think I might try out this Twitter thing. Check for updates on twitter.com/mikeleotta … but don’t get your hopes up.
